Apparatus for filling bottles or jugs with beer.



No. 704,386. Patented July 8, I902.

A. SCHBOEDTEB.

APPARATUS FOR FILLING BOTTLES OB JUGS WITH BEER.

(Application filed Jan. 12, 1901.)

(No Model.) 4 Sheets-Sl1eet I.

No. 704,386. I Patented July 8, I902.

A. SCHROEDTER.

APPARATUS FOR FlLLlNG BOTTLES UR JUGS WITH BEER.

(Application filed Jan. 12, 1901.)

4 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(No Model.)

m: "owls PETERS co PHOTO-L'ITHD, wmnmmpn. u n.

A. SCHBOEDTER.

Patented July 8, I902.

APPARATUS FOR FILLING BOTTLES 0R JUGS WITH BEER.

(No ModelQ) (Applicatiqn filed Jan. 12, 1901.)

4 SheetsShaet 3.

/I I Wk I I W L Q JM N0. 704,386. Patented July 8, 1902.

v A. SCHBUEDTER. APPARATUS FOR FILLING BOTTLES 0B JUGS WITH BEER.

(Application filed Jan. 12, 1901.)

(No Model.) 4 Sheets-Sheet 4.

i94 *2! /d /d 1 j 'e/ w 5 W t UNITED STATES PATENT OFF-ICE.

AUGUST SOHROEDTER, OF BERLIN, GERMANY.

APPARATUS FOR FILLING BOTTLES OR JUGS WITH BEER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 70 dated y 8, 1902- Applioation filed January 12, 1901. Serial No- 43,018. (No model.)

To (tZZ whom, it may concern:

Be it known that 1, AUGUST SOHROEDTER, a subject of the Emperor of Germany, residing at 65 Oraninestrasse, Berlin, in the Empire of Germany, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for Filling Bottles r Jugs with Beer,(tor which I have made application for patent in Germany, dated July 14, 1900;) and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to apparatus for filling bottles or jugs with beer, and has for its object to provide an apparatus of thisclass for filling bottles or jugs to the top or brim without frothing or loss of beer.

The apparatus is illustrated in the accom panying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a front view; Fig. 2, a horizontal section along the line A Bin Fig. 1; Fig. 3, a side view. Fig. 3 is a vertical section, to an enlarged scale, of an automatic air-discharging apparatus shown in elevation in' Fig. 3; Fig. 4, a vertical section along the line C I) in Fig. 2, and Fig. 5 a similar view with the working parts in a difierent position.

The three pump-cylinders 2 3 4 for compressed air and the four vertical rods 5 for the accurate guiding of the movable parts are fixed onto the table 1. The cylinders 2 3.are connected at the bottom with the cylinder 4 by means of pipes 6 7. Between the guiderods 5, which are held together at the top by a frame 8, the two cross-pieces 10 and 11 are mounted so as to be capable of moving vertically and provided with rollers 9, which run on the guide-rods. Both cross-pieces 10 and 11 are constantly pulled downward by being heavily weighted. To the cross-piece 10 the heavy weight-plate 13 is suspended by means of the rods 12, which pass freely through the top of the table, and to the cross-piece 11 the rods 14 of the weighted pistons 15 of the pump-cylinders 2 and 3 are fixed. The pistons 15 are connected above the edges of their cylinders with the outer concentric cylinder 16, having a flange 17 at its lower end on which a number of interchangeable weighting-rings 18 are placed. The piston of the back pump-cylinder 4 is weighted in the same manner with similar rings 18. In ad- 'dition to this the movable filling-pipe 20 is fixed by screw-nuts 19 to the cross-piece 11.

The raising of the cross-piece 11, with the pump-piston 15 and the filling-pipe 20, is effected, according to the example given in the drawings, by means of a foot-lever 21, Fig. 3, which is pivotedbeneath the table to a pivot 22 and connected by means of a transverse rod 23 with the sliding rods 24,,fastened to the cross-piece 11. The rods 24 run loosely through openings in the weight-plate 13, the top 1 of the table, and the cross-piece 10. The lift of the cross-piece 11 must be sufficient for completely raising the filling-pipe 20 out of the highest vessel 25 that may be used. 7

In the middle of the cross-piece 10 is a passage with packing device 26, through which the filling-pipe :20 runs. Underneath the passage is somewhat enlarged and connected by means of a channel '27 with the small resv ervoir 28,fixed to' the cross-piece and intended for the receptioniof the after-filling or fillingup liquid. In the receiver 28 the float 29,witl1 washer 30 at the top, is arranged. The receiver 28 is connected by the pipes 31, 32, and 33 with the'lower part of the pump-cylinder 4. The intermediate pipe 32 is adjustable air-tight on the pipe 33 and has a somewhat larger diameter, ,is furnished above the branch pipe 31 with the air-openings 34 and serves for receiving a small piston 35, the piston-rod 36 of which runs loosely through the upper cross-piece 11 in an opening 37 and is furnished above the same with a head-stop 38 and weighted so as to descend automatically.

The central perforation in the cross-piece 10, which is enlarged underneath, is surrounded by a concentric packing-ring 39,with which the cross-piece lies tightly on the edge of the vessel 25 under the influence of the weight 13 while the vessel is being filled. The lift of the cross-piece .10 needs only to be suflicient for enabling the vessel 25 to be conveniently removed after being filled and another vessel to be placed underneath. In order to raise the cross-piece lO-in other words, to remove its packing 39 from the ves sel after the vessel has been filledthe rods 12, bearing the weight 13 and fixed to the cross-piece 10, are extended upward and furnished above the cross-piece 11, through which they run loosely, with a head-stop 40.

The beer flows from the cask through the pipe 41, which opens into a small circular channel 42 of the filling apparatus. This channel is situated between stuffing-boxes 43, which are placed in the middle of the upper part of the frame and through which the movable filling-pipe 20 runs air-tight. The upper part of the pipe has a somewhat larger diameter and is furnished at the top with openings 44 as well as with a small piston, which is loaded with a weight 47, fixed to its piston-rod 46.

The action is as follows: The tapster presses down the foot-lever 21, and thereby by means of the slide-rods 24 raises the cross-piece 11, with the two pump-pistons l5 and the movable pipe 20, to such an extent that the bottom of the filling-pipe comes above the top of the vessel. In connection herewith the cross-piece 11 comes into contact at the end of its lift with the head-stops 40 of the weightrods 12 fixed to the other cross-piece, whereby the cross-piece is raised somewhat, so that the tapster can place the vessel 25, for which a guide is furnished on the table 1, in the filling position without inconvenience. The tapster now releases the foot-lever 21. In consequence of this the parts which are raised descend automatically under the in fluence of I their weights 13 and 18, the cross-piece 1O,

which is but slightly raised, coming with its packing 39 onto the edge of the vessel, closing the vessel air-tight. Likewise the smallpiston 35, the head-stop 38 of which similarly to the head-stops 40 has been somewhat raised by the cross-piece l0, descends by gravity or from Weighting so far again that the air-openings 34 in the air-supply pipe 32 are closed. As the upper cross-piece 11 descends farther the air in the side pump cylinders 2 and 3 is forced through the pipes 6 and 7 into the back cylinder 4 and out of the latter partly through the pipes 33, 32, and 31, as well as through the after-filling or filling-up receiver 28 and the channel 27 into the vessel 25, which is already closed air-tight. The size of the pump-cylinders and the weighting of their pistons should be so arranged that the pressure of the compressed air produced is some what less than the natural or artificial pressure (carbonic acid, for instance) of the beerpipe. The difference must not be too great, in order that there may be no formation of froth. It must not, however, be too small, in order that the flow of the beer may not be too slow. With the air of manometers for the pressure and counter-pressure pipes and due observation of the flow of the beer at the beginning of the filling operation the difierence of pressure suitable to the requirement of the moment can be easily regulated by increasing or diminishing the number of interchangeable weighting-rings 18. The beer is only allowed to flow after there isjfull counter-pressure present and the movable filling-pipe is in its lowest position. In this position, Fig. 5, the pump-pistons 15 have also reached their lowest position and produced the requisite density of the compressed air. The piston of the back pump 4 is so heavily loaded that it balances this air-pressure. In the lowest position of the filling-pipe its openings 44. are in the circular channel 42, which communicates with the supplypipe 41. The openings 44 have been uncovered shortly before by the raising of the small piston 45 as the weight 47 of the latter comes into contact at the end of the filling operation with the upper stuffing-box 43 and while the filling-pipe descends somewhat farther is firmly held with the piston 45. The beer now flows through 41, 42, 44, and 20 into the vessel and rises from the bottom of the vessel without anyformation of froth, the compressed air being forced out until the vessel 25, the channel 27, and the small reservoir 28 are filled with liquid. At this moment the washer 30 of the float 29 closes the upper opening in the reservoir 23 and the supply of beer ceases as also the issue of compressed air. This is observable from outside by the ceasing of the sound hitherto caused by the air and the stopping of the piston of the back pump 4, which during the filling operation was raised by the compressed air forced out of the vessel. The tapster now presses the foot-lever 21 down again, and thereby raises the filling-pipe 20 out of the vessel 25 as well as the pistons 15 out of their cylinders 2 and 3. The consequence is that the flow of beer at once ceases as the fillingopenings 44 leave the channel 42 -in other words, the supply-pipe 41-and are closed by the weighted piston 45 before these openings 44 come into the open out of the upper sleeve 43. This closing of the openings prevents at the same time the column of beer in the filling-pipe 20 from flowing out, which is raised and only runs out at the next filling operation. The further consequence is that the compressed air passes out of the back cylinder 4 into the side cylinders 2 and 3 as the piston of the back cylinder descends automatically under the action of its weight. During this process the fluid flows out of the receptacle 28 and the channel 27 under the action of the compressed air back into the vessel and entirely fills the space left empty by the filling-pipe that has been lifted out. Thus the actual filling, like the after filling or filling up necessary for the full measure, is effected under the action of the compressed air without frothing. When the cross-piece 11 is at the end of its lift, it comes into contact with the head-stop 38, carries the latter with it, and thereby draws the small piston 35 away from the pipe-openings 34, the latter are set free, and therefore allow the whole of the compressed air in the apparatus to escape. In all air-spaces of the apparatus only the ordinary atmospheric pressure now IIO prevails. After the pressure has been completely balanced in the apparatus by uncovering the holes 34: the cross-piece 11, which is still rising, also comes into contact with the head-stops of the lengthened rods 12, whereby the other cross-piece 10, together with its weight 13, is somewhat raised and the filled vessel 25 set free for being removed and closed. This setting free of the vessel is efiected without any spluttering or running over of the liquid, as the supply-pressure has been previously cut off, the counterpressure removed, and the measured after filling or filling up from the receptacle 28 taken place. Immediately after the vessel has been removed and closed another vessel is put in and the foot-lever 21 released again, whereupon the process begins afresh.

I reserve the right of constructing the apparatus in such a manner that the cross piece 11 with the filling-pipe 20 has the short lift of the cross-piece 10 and the latter the longer lift of the piece 11 with the vessel 25 and the table 1. In this case the mechanism is suitably altered. The two pump-cylinders may also be united as asingle cylinder. The division into two, as shown, is only recommended for the sake of sym metry. Likewise there is no difficulty in combining the two pressure-pumps 2 and 3 with the receivingpump 4, so as to form a single pump. Further, in the case of large establishments the working parts should not be actuated by a foot-lever, but by motive power.

By means of the arrangement described the compressed air that has been used is gotten rid of after every filling operation and fresh compressed air produced for every fresh-filling operation, whereas with the filling apparatus hitherto employed and provided with compressed-air reservoirs the same compressed air is constantly broughtinto action. Moreover, as distinguished from apparatus formerly employed the beerIcomes constantly under the counter-pressure that prevents frothing and always runs at the same velocity into the vessel and independently of the size of the vessel, as the piston of the back pnmpt, by coming to a standstill atacorrespondingly higherior lower point, automatically balances the over or under pressure resulting from the larger or smaller quantity of air in the vessel and enables any quantity of air pressing in through the inflow of beer to escape. In apparatus with invariable compressed air reservoirs, on the contrary, the counter-pressure for larger vessels is less when the beer runs in and the velocity greater, and thereby frothing possible, while for small vessels the counter-pressure is greater and the filling velocity less.

That I claim, anddesire to secure by Letters Patent, is

In an apparatus for filling bottles or jugs with carbonated liquids,the combination with a filling-tube connected with a source of liquid-snpply and means for automatically opening and closing said filling-tube, of a counter-pressure device, comprising pump-cylinders with weighted pistons, means for connecting said cylinders together, an automatic air-discharge device and a float-valve located between said cylinders and a vertically-reciprocable filling-head through which said filling-tube reciprocates, and means for reciprocating said filling-tube and filling-head, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I have affixed my sig nature in presence of two witnesses.

AUGUST SOHROEDTER.

Witnesses WOLDEMAR HAUPr, HENRY HASPER. 

